Donald Trump defiantly shares blocked George Floyd tweet from White House account

Donald Trump defiantly shared a blocked George Floyd tweet from the official White House account.

The President had previously tweeted about the angry protests following the death of black man George Floyd, 46, who was seen gasping for breath as white officer Derek Chauvin kneels on his neck for several minutes.

Floyd died, sparking three days of unrest on the streets.

In response, Tweet took to Twitter and branded rioters "thugs", and threatened "when the looting starts, the shooting starts".

The tweet violated rules against "glorifying violence" and Twitter hid the message behind a disclaimer and banned likes based on fears the president's threat could inspire further acts of violence.

Now, Trump has gone on to share the same tweet from the official White House account.

It came as the third night of protests in the US city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, gave way to arson, gunfire, looting and vandalism, with a police station and several shops being torched.

It also came amid a row between Trump and Twitter after the social media platform fact-checked two of his tweets.

Trump responded on Thursday by signing an executive order giving regulators the power to pursue legal action against sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

National Guard troops were already on the streets of Minneapolis in the early hours of Friday morning in a bid to restore order as many scenes of unrest went unchecked following fresh clashes between protesters and police.

As shops were ransacked and several buildings burned to the ground, Trump tweeted: "I can’t stand back & watch this happen to a great American City, Minneapolis.

"A total lack of leadership. Either the very weak Radical Left Mayor, Jacob Frey, get his act together and bring the City under control, or I will send in the National Guard & get the job done right."

He added: "These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen.

"Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way.

"Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!"

The president's tweets sparked an immediate backlash as many called for calm and peace in the Midwest city.

The rapper Ice T tweeted: "This MF said.. 'When the looting starts, the shooting starts...' Unbelievable."

Trump's "when the looting starts, the shooting starts" quote was borrowed from Miami Police Chief Walter Headley, who declared "war" and vowed to respond with violence against black people in poor and crime-hit neighbourhoods in 1967.

Headley armed his officers with shotguns and dogs as they patrolled the neighbourhoods.

Civil rights groups at the time accused the police chief of racist demagoguery.

Minnesota's governor had already activated the National Guard to help restore order in Minneapolis.